The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, says Nigeria’s foreign policy must define the country’s terms of engagement with other countries.
Mr Gbajabiamila said this at the presentation of a book “Reflections on Nigeria’s Foreign Policy, 1960-2020” in Abuja on Wednesday.
The book was authored by Deputy Minority Leader of the House, Toby Okechukwu, and two others – Tony Onyishi and Emmanuel Ukhami.
According to Mr Gbajabiamila, Nigeria is currently going through one of the most difficult periods in modern human history.
He said in addition to the effects of the war in Ukraine, the world was living in the wake of a global pandemic that has altered all lives in fundamental ways.
“What we know, and have learned from both our recent experience and the experiences of others is that in this new world, our foreign policy must unapologetically define the terms on which we engage the rest of the world.
“This will enable the country to address the different manifestations of our shared challenges so that we can together survive through this new age of promise and peril.
“To do this, we must establish the values that define us, and be clear about the concerns that motivate us and the interests that inspire us.
“Our nation’s foreign policy defines the terms on which we engage with the rest of the world,” Mr Gbajabiamila said.
The Speaker said that it was through a robust foreign policy that Nigeria could declare what it was and what it stood for.
He said Nigeria had demonstrated it at home and abroad in South Africa, Liberia, Sierra Leone and every where else that it was called upon for help.
Mr Gbajabiamila said that a global response was the best way to ensure collective survival from issues of public health, terrorism and the myriad difficulties of globalisation.
The lawmaker said that international collaboration was necessary to find and implement solutions that would improve the lives and circumstances of people all over the world.
He said that Mr Okechukwu and his co-authors have in the best tradition of statesmen, undertaken a comprehensive and scholarly review of the foreign policy of Nigeria from independence to date.
One of the authors, Mr Okechukwu, said that the international system was rapidly reducing to a close-knit society from both the functional and neo-functional perspectives.
“The book is the product of modest efforts to critically examine in chronological order, the leading variables that have asserted their salience in shaping Nigeria’s official stances and responses to forces on the foreign scene.
“The authors tried to reflect on the impact of internal and external factors, such as colonialism, the personality of leaders, the level of development, the press, regime type, international organisations, non-alignment, cold war, terrorism and globalisation,” he said.
Mr Okechukwu said that critics have faulted the country for lack of defined national interest and direction in its foreign policy pursuit.
According to him, this is responsible for her inability to show off tangible benefits from all its benevolence in Africa.
He said that Nigeria’s Afrocentric commitment was not adequately reciprocated by its African counterparts.
“The nagging issue of Nigeria’s shrinking voice in critical diplomatic circles may also be appreciated vis-à-vis contemporary socio-economic challenges at home.
“But then, a robust tradition of diplomatic engagement will not only ameliorate this but would also garner a reasonable level of image prestige.
“The country must make all efforts to industrialise, keep pace with the present global technological innovations, genuinely democratise by permitting her citizens the fundamental human rights they desire and strive to enjoy.
“Nigeria will only achieve these feats if her leadership is focused on achieving national interest and not self-centered interest based on ethno-religious identities and partisanship,” Mr Okechukwu said.
He said Nigeria needed to reposition its foreign policy strategy to meet the current international realities, if it must be taken seriously among the comity of nations.
He said no amount of diplomatic craftsmanship can make a country to successfully project its image significantly above the level of its real time socio-economic and political development circumstance.
“Focusing on development issues is key to building a strong and influential voice in regional, continental and global affairs,” he said.
Also speaking, a former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Aminu Wali, said that foreign policy was something that guides a country to maintain the dignity and the importance of its people vis-a-vis what was obtainable in terms of relations with foreign countries.
According to him, Nigeria’s foreign policy must be inward looking because whatever we do, we try to get the best out of any given situation, both internally and externally.
“I am to say a little bit of what I think should be our aims and objectives in terms of our foreign policy. These have been dealt very succinctly in the book that is being presented today.
“The success or otherwise of any foreign policy depends on the input both internally and externally because they go along hand in hand,” he said.
(NAN)
